Case Studies
Each project tells a story of craftsmanship and care, from historic restorations to contemporary commissions.
Here’s a look behind the process, the challenges, and the results.
Ebony & Rosewood Table Restoration – Wirral
CLIENT:
Private homeowner
PROJECT:
Restoration of a 19th-century tripod table carved in mahogany and rosewood
SCOPE:
Full dismantle, structural and decorative restoration, re-polish
LOCATION:
Caldy, Merseyside
The Challenge
It was a tripod table, a classic historic design with a carved central column and three legs, each one shaped by hand to fit into special joints that kept it stable. The marble top sat on rosewood, all beautifully made. When you see the carving or turning in that wood, you know you’re dealing with something special.
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But it was badly damaged. One leg had split at the joint and broken away. There had been attempts to repair it, but with screws and the wrong glue. When I saw the table, it had been pushed up against the wall to stop it from falling over.
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The table was important to the family, not just valuable but full of memories. It had belonged to the owner’s great-aunt, and he remembered it being there when he was a boy.
The Process
To bring it back, I had to put my 19th-century head on. You have to carve, turn and repair with the same level of ability as they had back then, otherwise it just looks wrong.
The whole table had to be taken apart and chemically treated to break down the modern glue. I used old timber from around my workshop, wood I’ve collected from different periods, to patch and rebuild the damaged areas. The joints were re-cut, the missing details re-carved, and the whole piece glued back together properly with hot animal glue.
Ebony is black, but rare and small in size. Craftsmen often created the look using Honduras or Cuban mahogany, treated through a process called ebonising. I had to replicate that technique, so the colour and finish felt authentic to the time.
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Then it was French polished again, with all the watermarks carefully lifted out. When it was finished, it was restored to its full glory.
The Result
And suddenly, the table is brought back to life. An exquisite piece that looks the best it can be.
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The owner is over the moon. The table has pride of place in the home and is used every day. It’s next to the chair where he has his cup of tea, close enough that he can feel the carving beneath his fingertips.
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He absolutely loves it. A family heirloom restored, but now a practical item too – something that can hold new memories as well as old ones.
VICTORIAN HOUSE RESTORATION – WIRRAL
CLIENT:
Private home owners
PROJECT:
Historic joinery and antique restoration
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SCOPE:
Restoration of Victorian parquet flooring, oak staircase, picture rail, sideboard and bespoke cabinet – including period home and heritage joinery restoration.
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LOCATION:
Caldy, Merseyside
The Challenge
The homeowners had always loved this house. Set amongst the trees, it is one of the original Victorian homes in the area, full of character. They wanted to take their time, repair what was damaged without sanding away all the history that made the house special.
Under the carpet, they had uncovered the beautiful parquet floor, but much of it was damaged. The floorboards added during an old extension were the wrong colour and had split.
The stair had cracks, splits, missing sections and sun-bleached polish. Along the hall, the picture rail only survived in places, with many metres missing. The sideboard needed bringing back to life, and the original pipework had to be hidden inside a cabinet.
The challenge was to restore while preserving the age, the patina and the feel of the house.
The Process
I had to work quite carefully on this one. I restored the floor, replaced what needed to be replaced, cleaned it all up, and matched the colours from the new boards to the original parquet.
The stair needed stabilising and the colour reworking, but keeping all that age.
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It is a very unusual house. Its mouldings, skirtings and architraves are all distinctive, so the missing picture rail had to be copied exactly. I got out my 19th-century moulding planes and needed five different planes to make it and extend it all round.
The sideboard with the Fleur de Lys pattern had to be restored, the waxes built up, and the colour matched so it fits beautifully in the hall. I then built a cabinet with the same mouldings to cover the pipework.
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I mixed up waxes, oils and resins so everything looked original but full of life again. Because the owners have big dogs and the claws can mark the floor, I used materials that were hard-wearing but also easily repaired.
The Result
Now when you open the old oak door, there is this glorious, rich aged floor, the sideboard and cabinet sitting in harmony, and to your left the oak staircase rising with its lovely runner.
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Everything looks as though it has always belonged there, glowing after 130 years of life.
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It is practical too. Every year I can go back, clean the surface, gently remove any claw marks, then re-oil and resin it, so it gets more and more beautiful as the years go on, even with dogs running up and down like headless chickens.
The owners are over the moon. For them, it now feels like stepping into a stately home, warm, inviting, and sure to be admired for the next hundred years.
Historic Fence – Wirral
CLIENT:
Private estate owner
PROJECT:
Historic joinery
SCOPE:
Design and construction of a traditional timber boundary fence
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LOCATION:
Caldy, Merseyside
The Challenge
This project was set in a historic village where only two original 19th-century fences remained, each with details unique to the area.
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As part of the planning for a new house on a large corner plot, the fence had to meet modern requirements while fitting naturally into its surroundings and staying true to the original style.
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It was also a long fence – about 160 metres – running along an important road. Getting the proportions and the flow right across that length was key.
The Process
I began by studying how the original fences were built: the wood used, the proportions, and how they were put together. Over the years, you develop an eye for what looks right, and not everyone can do that.
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I brought in a trusted team of landscapers to handle the groundwork while I focused on the joinery. I chose green oak for the main structure, a timber that still retains its natural moisture, allowing it to move, breathe and age like the original fences.
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This fence was made traditionally: no glue, no screws, no metal fixings. Green oak doesn’t like any of that. Every joint was cut by hand. There were thousands of pegs to turn. The rails were made from wet oak, the pegs from kiln-dried oak, so that as one dried and the other expanded, the whole thing locked itself together naturally. You end up with a rigid structure that hardly looks as if it has any fixings.
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I wanted it to feel organic in the wooded area. The landscapers would dig in the posts, then call me over to check the line by eye, so the fence flowed with the curve of the road and the trees around it.
The Result
A local described the fence as “a big sculpture that wrapped around the bend”, something to be admired and talked about for years to come.
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The owners are delighted, but it also complements the village, a modern commission that quietly preserves a piece of local history. It looks and feels like it belongs, as if it’s always been there.
Bespoke Oak And Brass Kitchen – Birkenhead
CLIENT:
Private homeowners
PROJECT:
Bespoke furniture design
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SCOPE:
Design and creation of a handcrafted kitchen with complete room design
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LOCATION:
Wirral, Merseyside
The Challenge
The couple had visited regular high street shops where the kitchens were very nice, but very ordinary.
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This wasn’t a technical project. The knack was in understanding how to give them something creative, usable and lovely to be in – a kitchen that worked superbly as a place to cook, sit back and entertain, somewhere truly special and made for them.
The Process
It was more than a kitchen; it was about designing the space so it fit them. We began with coffee, pastries and a sketchbook.
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We talked about the things they liked, the sorts of things they cooked, and what they needed this kitchen to do. It’s not a big kitchen, so every detail had to be thought through carefully.
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I designed it around their lives, how they move, cook and sit together. We moved a doorway to improve the flow. I added open shelving so favourite pieces could be on display, with lighting that falls over the worktops, perfect for cooking and creating a cosy atmosphere. There are built-in speakers because music mattered to them, and a small breakfast-bar perch where you can have a coffee and look back across the room.
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For the furniture, I hand-selected oak boards and kept the tool marks, then worked a dry white pigment into the grain to bring out the texture. It’s tactile yet sophisticated. The oak sits with antique brass detailing and a black floor that adds depth and a bit of quiet drama.
The Result
All of it was about creating a space that works well day to day, practical and inviting. When you sit back in the seating area and look across, it feels like a room you want to spend time in.
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There’s still something to discover every time you look. The oak has this soft, pigmented surface that you just want to rub your hands on, wondering what it is and how it was done.
And for the owners, there’s a real sense of joy and wonder, coming in every morning and thinking,
“I can’t believe this is ours.”
Boot Room – Wirral
CLIENT:
Private homeowner
PROJECT:
Bespoke furniture design
SCOPE:
Design and creation of a boot room that combines function and beauty
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LOCATION:
Caldy, Merseyside
The Challenge
The brief was to create a boot room that was both eye-catching and functional; a space that worked hard every day but still felt beautiful to walk into. It also needed to hide the pipework and valves from the underfloor heating system.
The house itself is a modern home, full of clean lines, deep grey and large glass windows. The client loved antiques and wanted warmth and texture to balance the modern look. The challenge was to bring those two worlds together – contemporary and handcrafted – so the room felt part of the house yet full of character in its own right.
The Process
The clients had a real appreciation for timber with texture, so I chose oak and paired it with a soft black paint that complements the earthy tones of the wood. It also echoes the modern greys used throughout the house.
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We brought in some hand-scalloped character oak that created a focal point from the hall as you walk in. We carved oak doors to conceal all the pipework and valves of the underfloor heating system.
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The space includes a seating area with a lovely bench, space for shoes underneath and hand-carved oak pegs above, coloured in iron oxide. You’ve got the colour to match the modern house, but then the textured oak brings balance and warmth.
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Big, long handmade oak handles, oak drawers and oak shelving for baskets complete the look, creating a real mixture that works well together.
The Result
It’s a stunning room, a grown-up space filled with artistic touches that elevate it beyond the ordinary.
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The mix of oak and soft black paint creates a calm, sophisticated atmosphere, yet it’s still warm and welcoming. Every surface invites you to touch it.
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It’s one of those rooms you use several times a day, but it still feels special. The client says it’s one of their favourite spaces in the house; putting shoes on takes longer now because there’s so much to look at, notice and admire.
"Owen has undertaken several pieces of work for me over the past five years. I cannot recommend him highly enough. He is a craftsman of the highest level with creativity and a keen eye for detail. The finished product always surpasses my expectations. He started by designing and fitting a media wall at my home, then a dressing room, then a boot room. He proceeded to restore some family heirloom antiques and so brought them back to life. The most recent project was to design and fit new handmade skirting boards and architraves (over 600 metres) at my house, which has significantly elevated the appearance and overall finish of the rooms. If you are looking for a very high level of craftmanship with outstanding personal service then you have found it."
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— Mr & Mrs P in Caldy